ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 Review

There is no doubt that we are in the sports season. Whether it is golf, basketball, baseball, or football, if there is a ball to be smacked in some fashion, tis the season to do so. In the video gaming world, this means we are hit with a deluge of competing sports titles that look to one-up each other with new features and dazzling graphics. This year we have been treated to only a few golf titles including Real World Golf, and the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. Developer Gusto Games is looking to bring a solid golf title to the green without resorting to any fancy gimmicks to make their game stand out. Can this game harken back to classics like Links on the PC, or will it drop short into the water hazard like so many others? I picked up my driver to find out exactly that.

Lately there has been an incredible amount of pressure put on developers to make sports titles look as realistic as possible. Every bead of sweat, every glint of metal, and every surface must shine and glisten in the jaggie-less bump mapped HDR-enabled sun. There is no doubt that this makes the presentation of the game elevate to a level that will make people stop and watch, and if you watch the people at Fry

If you have played any recent sports titles, you probably have come to appreciate good commentator audio to help immerse you into the game. The folks at Gusto have gotten professional announcers Ian Baker Finch, Sam Torrance, and Alan Green to provide voice work for ProStroke. They

There have been some great strides in the control systems of recent golf games. Using analog sticks instead of digital controls moved the game from a minigame based on timing to a simulation of real human movement. Like those other golf games, ProStroke bears the hallmarks of a great golf simulation. Looking at the specifics should easily reveal that.

Using the left analog stick, you adjust your body weight and position from side to side. The right analog is essentially your club, and will control cut, slice, spin, speed, and more. While this sounds complicated, once you

Golf is a game of finesse. Many games have boiled all the technique and practice down to a minigame where hitting A at the appropriate time and then hitting it again before a meter hits the top of a bar equates to all of the steps described above. It is almost insulting to the real life game. Here is the hitch There are several elements in ProStroke that spell a large leap forward. There are a few that represent a big step back. I know that every game can

Ron Burke is the Editor in Chief for Gaming Trend. Currently living in Fort Worth, Texas, Ron is an old-school gamer who enjoys CRPGs, action/adventure, platformers, music games, and has recently gotten into tabletop gaming.
Ron is also a fourth degree black belt, with a Master's rank in Matsumura Seito Shōrin-ryū, Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Universal Tang Soo Do Alliance, and International Tang Soo Do Federation. He also holds ranks in several other styles in his search to be a well-rounded fighter.
Ron has been married to Gaming Trend Editor, Laura Burke, for 21 years. They have three dogs - Pazuzu (Irish Terrier), Atë, and Calliope (both Australian Kelpie/Pit Bull mixes).